Finalists of Singapore Stories 2021 Work Towards Becoming the Next Big Fashion Designer

From a visit to the Heritage Conservation Centre to mentoring sessions with industry insiders, join the finalists on their Singapore Stories 2021 journey as they navigate a new set of inspirations and challenges

In July, it was revealed that Angeline Oei, Jon Max Goh, Nantana Boonchuayseng, Nikasha Khemka, and Yan Ng were the five finalists of Singapore Stories 2021, a fashion design competition conceptualised and organised by the Textile and Fashion Federation (TaFF). Presented by Sing Lun and MTM Labo, the competition provides budding creatives in the fashion industry the platform to push their limits and showcase their creations.

As part of their journey towards the finals, to be held in October, Goh, Boonchuayseng, Khemka and Ng had the opportunity to gain unprecedented access to the Heritage Conservation Centre (HCC), which houses Singapore's National Collection. (Oei is currently in the United States for personal reasons, but will still be taking part in the competition.)

Led on a guided tour by Kennie Ting, director of the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM), the quartet experienced firsthand Singapore's history as told through significant cultural artefacts such as fabrics, prints and patterns.

"The ACM collection is stored here when it’s not at the museum," explained Ting, as he led the group through the HCC's extensive archives. "ACM’s collection takes reference from Singapore’s essence as a port city, so you can see that all of the pieces that we’re showing you today are cross-cultural in nature, in that they blend elements of East and East, and East and West together."

Above Watch how the finalists of Singapore Stories 2021 prepare themselves for the final stretch of the fashion design competition

After the tour, it was clear to see that the designers felt inspired, both by the rich cultural heritage on show at the HCC and by Singapore's unique position as a technological hub.

"[I want to] take it up a notch and do something with context, do something with some meaning, something that is more fulfilling than just making beautiful clothes," said Khemka, who specialises in finely detailed, vividly coloured pieces that catch the eye.

Ng, who uses 3D modelling software to render incredibly realistic digital clothing samples, added: "I think it’s time for us to showcase that [my brand] Lily and Lou is capable of innovation... to combine fashion and tech, to leverage on Singapore’s infrastructure, to launch and kick off an innovative way of cutting and sewing."

Above During their visit to the Heritage Conservation Centre, the finalists experienced Singapore's cultural heritage by viewing artefacts such as clothes and pieces of fabric

Besides a whirlwind experience of museum tours and judge's critiques, the finalists were also paired up with experts from the fashion, academic and business industries to pick up the finer details of running a successful label. Mentors included Sonja Prokopec, LVMH chaired professor at Essec Business School; Mollie Jean De Dieu, general manager of Longchamp Singapore; and David Wang, fashion strategist and retail trend consultant. As specialists in their respective fields, they offered the designers precious pearls of wisdom, giving the finalists practical advice on how to shore up their shortcomings and maximise their advantages to the fullest.

As part of the competition, the finalists were given access to materials and assets from sponsors such as SwatchOn and Browzwear. With the former, the finalists had a plethora of fabric swatches available for them to select from on the online wholesale fabric resource—this way, their designs will not be hampered by the lack of fabric types available locally. On the other hand, the latter specialises in a suite of digital solutions for the fashion industry, which speeds up the collection's development process. Browzwear allows the designers to experiment with different styles, while those, who are designing outfits with patterned fabric, can visualise their creations with accurate, true-motion material replication.

Above Mentors from Lasalle College of the Arts—Dinu Bodiciu, Nadya Wang and Martin Bonney—lent their academic perspective to what the Singapore Stories finalists presented

While the finalists were grateful for the provision of technological aid and the generous guidance and advice offered to them by members of TaFF, judges as well as their mentors, all of them felt that they needed time to dissect, digest and distill all the information on hand.

“I think it’s overwhelming, to say the least—[all the mentors] have such different opinions, so it’s really up to us to digest [them all],” reflected Ng, drawing agreement from the group.

Khemka joked, “Seems like August is going to be a busy month, then September’s going to be a busy month...”

Ng chimed in, “And we just [began] in June!”

Stay tuned for more episodes of Singapore Stories 2021, which are available on the social and digital platforms of Tatler Singapore and TaFF.

Topics

Singapore Stories 2021 Singapore Stories Textile And Fashion Federation TaFF Fashion design Asian Civilisations Museum ACM Heritage Conservation Centre HCC

Tatler Asia

Finalists of Singapore Stories 2021 Work Towards Becoming the Next Big Fashion Designer